What if
by ForgottenHale
Summary: What if Lily had survived? What if everything had changed because of a little twist of fate?
1. Chapter 1

_**What if? What if things had been different that fateful day?**_

Prologue 

It was late night and the calm, tranquil village of Godric's Hollow saw no sign of disturbance, Lily Potter was glad to note as she glanced out of the window. She noticed her son blink sleepily and had to stifle a yawn watching him. She smiled. He looked a lot like his father, James.

James handed Harry to Lily and spun his wand carelessly between his fingers. Lily picked her wand up from the coffee table and the small family began to make their way towards the stairs, heading for bed. That was, until a small creaking from the garden gate attracted their attention. This would not normally be a cause for fear but the potter family were in hiding. Only several close friends were able to visit and they all arrived by floo. Nobody should be able to see the gate, let alone open it.

Lily and James looked deep into each other's eyes. They knew what this meant. Peter Pettigrew had betrayed them to the Dark Lord. This meant that they would not sleep tonight. This meant that not all of them would ever leave this house. This meant that the wards had crumbled. This meant death.

James did not fear his death. He feared Lily's death. He feared Harry's death. Lily did not fear her death. She feared James' death. She feared Harry's death. They both knew this about themselves and each other instinctively. They knew they were united in doing all they could for their son's safety.

'Lily, trust me now. You must take Harry and get to safety. You know were to go. I will follow you if I can. I will not let you both die. I love you. You will own everything if I die. I put it in my will. Take care of Harry, and the Marauders, and yourself. Don't argue Lily. You know it has to be this way around. You can protect Harry better alive. I can protect you both forever if I die for you. You have my heart. Goodbye Lily, Harry. I love you both so much.' James spoke in a calm, controlled voice but there was no doubt of the emotions he did not try to conceal. He gave Harry a quick hug and a kiss on the forehead.

Lily choked back a sob and nodded slightly. She understood but she did not like it. She leaned in to kiss her husband quickly but lovingly. He responded tenderly until they broke apart.

The door burst open and James threw himself between his family and the monster whose soul aim was to cause pain, destruction and death. The monster laughed a cruel, cold laugh that almost certainly meant tears.

'Stand aside, Potter. I have no quarrel with you or your mudblood wife. You would be useful assets to me.' His voice was colder and higher than his laugh.

Lily murmured quickly to her husband, knowing these would be his last seconds, 'I love you.' James smiled, not a trace of regret or sadness tainting his eyes. He was glad to be dying for his family.

'I will not stand aside. You will never hurt my family again.' James stated courageously.

Lily did not see Voldemort raise his wand or here the words as she span on the spot but what she did see would haunt her forever. A flash of green, her husband falling to the ground and Voldemort disappearing into nothingness.

The worst, however, happened as she and harry were sucked into the void. She saw that, although the curse aimed at her son rebounded, there was a mark that would always remain. He had been touched by dark magic and survived. Her son was a hero, as was her deceased but incredible husband.


	2. Chapter 2

_**What if? What if I owned Harry Potter? Well, I don't so lets not talk about that.**_

Chapter 1

'Sirius,' Lily gasped as she apparated just inside the doorway of number 12 Grimauld Place. She held her son close, perhaps a little too tight. He was shaking, shocked and hurting. He had a lightning shaped scar on his head and, had Lily not been a little preoccupied, she would be dousing it with dittany. Unfortunately, she was distraught and frightened and the dittany was in her potions room at the cottage in Godric's Hollow. Either way, the dittany would have been no use in this situation. Curse scars can't be cured by any known magic.

'Sirius!' Lily shrieked, stumbling down the hallway. Sirius must have heard the agony in her voice as he almost flew down the stairs.

He took one glance at Lily's tear streaked face and enveloped her in a hug. He was certain she would not have come unless there was an emergency. 'Lily,' he whispered gently, 'I need you to tell me what happened. Tell me and I will do everything I can to help.' He felt her body quiver and knew that she could say nothing now. Horror pulsed through him as he realised his best friends almost certain fate.

He knew he couldn't break down, as he would have liked. Right now Lily needed him to be strong. He needed to take care of her and her son.

Sirius pulled out of the hug and supported Lily with one arm, gently easing Harry from her vice-like grip, assuring her that he would not hurt him. He guided her up the stairs, carrying Harry himself, and entered one of the many spare rooms and the closest to his own. He laid Lily carefully on the bed and conjured a cosy cradle for Harry. After pulling thick quilts over the two of them, he called out to his house-elf, Kreacher.

'Kreacher, I need you to find Severus Snape and bring him here immediately. Bring him directly to this room. Tell him it is urgent and concerns Lily. He will not refuse.'

With that, Sirius turned sadly and walked towards the cradle, watching over Harry and preparing for what would prove to be a very long night.

***In the dungeons of Hogwarts***

Severus Snape sat alone in his office, getting progressively frustrated with the incompetence of his first years. He had set them a simple task of writing one roll of parchment on the use of horned slugs within potion making and yet, they all seemed incapable of producing even one correct statement. One student had even managed to insist that they were to be found in the stomach lining of older male unicorns. Unfortunately, the most foolish responses seemed to be coming from Slytherin house. He sighed and pushed the pile aside, cursing himself for staying up so late. His thoughts drifted to Lily. He hoped she was okay, that they had chosen a strong willed, trustworthy secret keeper.

A sudden crack echoed in his office causing Severus to jump in fright. Looking around wildly for the attacker, he spotted a house-elf watching him with mild curiosity. He did not recognise the elf and it was not wearing the Hogwarts uniform.

After surveying him silently for a moment, the elf spoke. 'Are you Severus Snape?' Snape nodded quickly, eager for news. Perhaps this was a Potter elf.

'My master has asked that you come with me urgently. He says that it is regarding Lily.' Severus hoped this meant that Lily was okay, that she had asked for him so he immediately held his arm out to the creature.

'Well then, you must follow your orders.' Answered Severus politely. Kreacher grasped his arm and snapped his fingers.

***At Grimauld place***

Severus blinked at the green and silver walls. He was not in a Potter dwelling. It was same moment he realised this that he also realised that he was not alone. A weakened face looked up at him from by a crib where a small child lay, grasping his thumb.

'Severus,' croaked Sirius Black, a shock if ever there was one. He had never been referred to as such by this man who looked as though he had aged several years in one night. 'Thank you for coming. I know I have never given you any reason to trust me but Lily really needs you right now.'

Severus suddenly realised that there was a strange, weak, kind of gasping from the other side of the room. He whirled around and marched to the bed where the love of his life lay broken. He perched carefully on the bed and turned to Black for an explanation.

'What happened to her?' he asked softly.

Sirius picked up the child who Severus could now see was a black haired boy, a little over a year. Nursing the baby gently, Sirius walked towards the bed too.

'I don't know for sure. Lily turned up around half an hour ago, crying. She wouldn't say a word but Harry has a scar on his head. It looks like a curse scar. I thought it would be best to send for you. I don't like the idea of invading her thoughts but we need to know. Please, Severus, find out what happened.'

Severus responded by grasping lily's hand tighter to him and turning her face so he could look into her eyes. He could see that she was still conscious but shutting herself off.

'Lily, it's me, Severus. I need you to trust me, okay? I am going to look into your thoughts. I need you to promise me that you will not cut yourself off from the world. Harry needs you. We all need you, Lils.'

He quickly but carefully delved into her mind. He did not want to hurt her any longer than was necessary.

What he saw made him gasp aloud in horror and in pity. 'I'm sorry. So sorry.' He whispered, whether to Lily, Sirius, Harry or James nobody would ever know.

He did not let go of Lily's hand as he retold the story to Sirius but he did offer a comforting pat on the shoulder to the man who had just lost his best friend. After a few moments he moved aside to allow Sirius to both give and receive comfort. He deftly removed the boy from Sirius' arms to allow him to hold lily closer. He stared at the boy and say James Potter, the man who had stolen Lily from him and then died to save her. He felt respect, now, for the boy who had teased him mercilessly throughout their childhood.

He stared at the boy as the hours went on but eventually found he was not just staring at the son of a bully. He saw more and more of Lily in him and realised that this boy was not James Potter and never would be. He would grow to be his own person and, raised by Lily, he would be an incredible, sweet, loyal person for sure.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi guys! Wow! I didn't think for one moment that I would get so many reviews or alerts/favourites in ONE DAY! I think this is more than I have on any of my others already! I noticed a couple of mistakes back in the first couple of chapters but I can't be bothered going back to correct them…**_

_**Chels – Your reviews made me smile! I am glad you like Severus and Sirius being in it because I think they are going to be in it a lot from now on. Thank you so much for the reviews! X**_

_**Headinclouds – Thank you. I am glad I intrigue you. Intrigue is my middle name…. actually, my middle name is Jane… okay… I don't actually have a middle name. But I am a compulsive liar. Okay, that isn't true either… But yes, I am going to write more. That is true.**_

_**4lackofabetterusername – Thank you for the review. I don't really like the younger version of James either but I think he got much nicer with age. Surely the fact that he died for his wife and child counts for something? I hope you like my version of Snape because I am fairly sure he will be involved quite a lot.**_

_**Thank you to all those who favourite or alerted this story as well. I will not ask for reviews because if you want to review, you will, otherwise you won't. Simple as.**_

Chapter 2

Severus watched the beautiful green eyes close and the mouth fall open into a perfect 'O'. He laid the child in his cradle with a small, sad, affectionate smile gracing his face. Severus was quite good looking when he smiled. In fact, if he smiled more and managed to create a potion for perpetually greasy hair, his cutting remarks and sarcastic wit would be quite endearing.

Severus had been trying to tempt the child to sleep for a while now. He had rocked him, bounced him and walked all around the Black residence but the only thing that had finally persuaded him to sleep happened to be the same thing that helped Lily into a fitful slumber. He sang softly to the room in general, feeling slightly uncomfortable to be singing in front of a man who would normally laugh at him for anything.

His song of choice was a rock song by a muggle band. The song was called 'Best Years' and was one of Severus' favourites. He had made it a little softer and quitter, more like a lullaby in general.

'Whitesnake?' Sirius asked, incredulously. The band happened to be his favourite. 'You know, that was actually pretty good.'

Severus nodded his thanks. 'Sirius, I need to go do something, ok? Look after them. I will be back as soon as I can. If Dumbledore turns up, do not, I repeat _do not _let him anywhere near either of them.'

He rushed down the stairs and out of the door, twisting on his heal and regulating his breathing as he apparated. He soon found himself stood in a village he had visited only a couple of times before. The cottage before him was sweet looking but there was something about it that made him uncomfortable. He knew this was the place.

His steps towards the Potter cottage were timid but as he stretched his hand towards the door, all doubt disappeared. This was something he had to do. Just inside the hallway were two shapes, as he knew there would be. He barely spared the remains of his old master a glance. Voldemort was not dead. He would find a way to return but when he did, Severus would not support him.

Severus stepped over the remains and made his way to James Potter. He sank to the floor beside him and closed his eyes fearing tears of sorrow and regret welling inside them. This man had died for Lily and risked his life for Severus. This man was brave and loyal. This man was a Gryffindor.

He spoke to James for a short while, told him everything he deserved to know. He assured him that he would look after his wife and son. He held nothing back. He let his tears flow freely. Then, a little before the sky began to turn light, before the first signs of dawn, Severus lifted the body and turned on the spot, returning to Grimauld place.

He apparated inside the door and carried the body upstairs, laying it carefully on a spare bed and closing the glassy eyes in a sign of respect.

He returned to the room where the other three were to be found and took in the situation quickly.

Sirius was wrestling a hysterical Lily and begging her to stay where she was. Harry was writhing in his cradle clearly upset by the state his mother was in. Severus immediately began setting it straight. He scooped Harry up and forced him into Lily's arms, thereby making her stop fighting Sirius.

'I need to go Sirius! I can't believe I left him there all night! Someone will find him soon and who knows what will happen to him then! _Let me go!' _ She shrieked the last part, shocking Harry to tears.

Lily shushed him softly but did not seen content to stay still. Severus thought this might be a good time to tell her what he had done. 'Lily, I took him away from there. You can go see him in a little bit but not until you have eaten and I think a cup of tea is called for as well. Sirius, I hope you don't mind that I put him on a spare bed.'

Both Lily and Sirius looked at him in complete confusion until Lily hugged him and thanked him most profusely for what he had done. Sirius, after nodding gratefully, went to go get the suggested tea and a small amount of food for Lily.

All three of them were mentally stealing them selves for what was yet to come, each dreading the coverage by the media. The morning profit would be out in an hour and there was no doubt that somebody had discovered the situation at Potter cottage already.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I do not own Harry Potter, I just play around with what the genius JKR created…**_

_**Lauriebear! Thanks for reviewing. You are a legend! I value your opinion dearie!**_

_**Chels: Thank you for the review. I like the love you are sharing. It makes me write better! **_

_**Thanks again for all the reviews, alerts and favourites! I give you all imaginary brownies.! They are cooked by my sister! Wow her brownies are good!**_

Chapter 3

A real Halloween story

Frederick Baker

_In the early hours of the morning, a great triumph was interlinked with great tragedy. He-who-must-not-be-named met his end at the hands of the Potter family. As the sky began to light and people began to look out of their windows at the day before, a strange sight met them. The Potter cottage in Godric's Hollow had appeared after not being seen for several months. The villagers each stated that they did not know of the existence of such a house until it revealed itself, returning their memories of such a place. Albus Dumbledore informed me that the house had been placed under the fidelius charm to protect the small family. The only way it could have reappeared was if the secret keeper betrayed the family. Not one of the Potters was found at the scene of the Dark Lords downfall and the search goes on. Anybody who has any knowledge of their whereabouts, or that of Sirius black (the secret keeper turned death eater) is urged to come forward. I think I speak for the whole magical community when I say, 'Thank you, Potters, for bringing this dreadful war to an end at last.' I hope they are found safely._

Sirius sighed as he looked up from the morning paper. He would have to clean up this mess as soon as possible. He did not particularly want to be public enemy number one for long. Unfortunately, he could not walk into the ministry at the moment, which meant that Lily would have to go and announce that she and her son had survived while her husband had not.

Lily was currently sobbing over James' body and apologising repeatedly. She had sent both men away so Sirius had retired to the kitchen to await the news. Severus was watching harry and was surprisingly good at it. Sirius had seen the warmth in his eyes after a little while, something that he had never seen before. It was reassuring to Sirius that if he was arrested, both Harry and Lily would have someone there for them.

Sirius decided not to rush Lily. She needed time to accept what had happened before she told the world so Sirius resolved to wait until she left the room of her own accord. He settled down for a long wait.

As the sun got gradually higher in the sky, Sirius began to think of what the world would be saying about him, how disgusted they would be that he had killed his best friend, which, in truth, he had done. He had convinced James to change secret keepers, thereby persuading him to chose the one that would result in his death.

As he laid his head in his hands, an owl flew in, dropped a letter, and left. Sirius picked it up with wary hands, expecting a curse or a howler.

_Sirius, _it began in a script he knew well. _I truly hope there has been some mistake. I heard about what happened and I hope so much that they will be found alive. Somehow, I doubt it. I fell like something is different. I know that you were the secret keeper but I keep thinking, more hoping really, that somehow you are innocent. Until this is proven, however, I am cutting all contact with you. I hope that you will forgive me eventually if you are innocent. If you are guilty, I hope you are caught and I hope you are punished severely. There are three true marauders, Sirius, and I don't know who the fake is. I wish I did and did not have to doubt the wonderful people who became my family. Sorry. Remus._

The parchment was stained with tears, some of them Remus', some of them Sirius'. He hoped he would one day regain the trust of his closest remaining friend.

Severus walked into the kitchen carrying a quiet Harry and supporting Lily. H e helped Lily sit in a chair, handed her a mug of tea and picked up the paper. Lily shared a small, sad, smile with Sirius and sipped cautiously at her tea. Snape conjured a high chair and sat Harry in it. Sirius mashed up a banana from the fruit bowl and placed the small plastic dish in front of Harry. After he had finished feeding the baby, Severus put the paper down with a frown.

'Let me read it.' Croaked Lily quietly however her tone left no room for argument.

There was silence for a few moments until Lily put the paper down with a determined look on her face. Sirius recognised that this was the best thing that could have happened as he knew Lily's way of coping was to have some form of action to take.

'Well, it looks like a trip to the ministry his in order.' Lily began in a much clearer voice. 'I need to tell them what happened and clear your name Siri. Thanks for looking after us guys. I couldn't have made it through the night without you. I will take Harry with me. Stay here. I will see you soon.'

With that, she stood, grabbed an old travelling cloak form a hook and lifted Harry from the high chair. She ignored the boys strong objections and strode out of the house on a mission for justice.


	5. Chapter 5

_**So sorry I took so long to update! This chapter was a nightmare to write and is terrible because of it. I know what I want to write but I have no idea how to write it. :?**_

_**4lackofabetterusername – Glad you're hooked. Thank you – I promise I wont stop writing this, no matter what people say. If just one person reads this, I will still write it. **_

_**Chels – I liked writing the letter from Remus even though it kinda made me sad that he would turn his back. Well, maybe I can fix that, as I am writing this lol x**_

Chapter 5

Lily did not apparate straight to the ministry. In fact, she thought there was another kind of justice that was far more important. She would deal with the legal issues when she had sorted this far more pressing matter.

Lily adjusted harry in her arms as she gazed at the door to the scruffy flat in front of her. Frowning at the dank accommodation, Lily knocked on the door. There was a rustle and scurrying from within, as though someone was trying to hide. It was so quiet that most would not have heard it but lily had developed acute senses over the time she had been in hiding. The constant straining for the swish of a cloak, the sound of someone trying not to breathe too loudly had made her immune to white noise and alert to tiny signs.

She thumped the door violently and repeatedly. 'Remus Bloody Lupin! Open this door right now! Don't you dare hide from me!' she thundered. Harry blinked at her, startled by the sudden noise. She pulled out her wand and aimed it at the door, preparing to blast it down.

At that exact moment, it flew open and Lily was engulfed in a hug. Harry squirmed in protest at being flattened by the force of the hug. Remus started to pull away for Harry's sake but Lily held on tighter.

Remus quickly backed into his apartment for some minimal protection from the Death Eaters who were undoubtedly baying for blood. He felt such relief to see them alive that he was overwhelmed and had to sit down his old, tatty sofa. Lily sat beside him, gently placing an arm around his waist in a half hug. She would have held him tighter but she held Harry in one arm and he was wriggling. It was nearly impossible to hold Harry still when he wanted to go somewhere.

'Lily – I thought – I heard – I – you – Harry…' Remus gasped out before being unable to say anything barely fathomable. He reached out to Harry, as if to check he was really seeing him. His hand brushed the livid red scar on Harry's forehead. He breathed deeply and was able to control his voice although it was quiet and weak.

'Lily, I though he had taken you. How did you get away? Where is James?' His voice was almost childlike, desperate. He was hoping for an answer that would not mean his world being torn apart, an answer he would not get.

'Remus, ' Lily whispered sadly. 'Remus, he died for us. ' She would have liked to cry or scream but she felt that Remus deserved an explanation. In a away she felt relief at telling him. She had not said it aloud yet but it was slowly helping her to accept that it had happened. She was still hurting but she would need to accept the truth with a son to care for.

'Voldemort turned up. We were betrayed. He told James that he would not kill him if he let him kill Harry. James refused to move so he k-k-killed him. The curse rebounded and hit Harry… I think because James willingly died for him, it put some kind of protection over him. ' Her voice shook as she told the story.

Remus went from broken to murderous. 'How could he? How could that monster do that? He was James' best friend! He betrayed his own Godson! I would kill him but the punishment fro a werewolf who bites or kills is execution. I would kill him with my bear hands!' He bellowed the last part, hurt and anger exploding around the room.

Lily quickly came to her senses and pushed him back into his seat, silencing him with a look. 'Remus, it wasn't Sirius. We changed secret keepers at the last minute. That's why I came. I have been with Siri and Sev. They looked after me and Sev even went to bring James back for me. That's – that's why they didn't find him. I am going to go to thee ministry now. I need to sort this out. You go to Sirius' and make it up to him. Now. You need each other as much as Harry and me need you all. I'll see you soon. You know where to go.'

Remus nodded, shocked to silence, and sat to get his bearings. Lily turned on the spot and was gone. Moments later, Remus did the same thing.


	6. SORRY!

_**Many many many many sorries! Can't believe I let this laziness go on for so long! I am horrible. Call me whatever you like. Abuse is welcome. I intend to write and upload the next chapter this week. If I don't, pester me MERCILESSLY. I'll make it good as a reward and I promise not to be this lax again!**_

_**Sorry, **_

_**ForgottenHale**_


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